89- year-old Ed Dyer proves that anything can be done with the right equipment and the right attitude.
In the sleepy town of Ault, Colorado you can find a farm nearly six decades old. Owned and operated by 86-year-old Ed Dyer, the farm continues to thrive under a “if it can be fixed, it will be fixed” mentality.
Ed and his wife Mildred have been married 67 years, and Ed has been farming ever since. With a passion for the craftsmanship of welding and the satisfaction felt by a job well done, Ed is still farming every day.
Forney Industries employee Matt Kaufman has been married to Ed’s daughter, Cindy, for twelve years and since then has admired Ed’s genuine and hardworking demeanor.
“He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” claimed Kaufman, “that’s just the kind of people they are.”
Kaufman explained how Ed has been using the same Forney welder since he purchased it in the early 1950’s. The welder is an old Forney model C-3, and has helped him keep his farm in prime shape. Kaufman agrees Ed is a shining example of an original do-it-yourselfer. “He believes that rather than buying a new part, you just fix what you’ve got. They’ve survived 67 from this mentality.”
Ed has built and repaired an incredible amount of farm and ranch equipment. With nothing but his own two hands and the Forney welder, he constructed and engineered four bridges that are still being used today. Each bridge serves a unique purpose. Three of the bridges were built to allow the massive wheels of a pivoting sprinkler to cross the ditch that runs through their farm. The fourth is for their ATV’s, tractors, trucks and back hoe. The bridges were built to withstand the weight of these machines, many of which exceed 35,000 pounds.
The bridges were the most technical project that he did,” claimed Kaufman. “He just read about it, figured it out on his own, and then built them with no training.”
In addition to the various farm repairs, Ed has also repaired several cars with his Forney welder. Kaufman recalled one of these miraculous repairs.
“One of his sons wrecked his car and the front half of the car was still good, but the back half was all smashed. So, Ed went to the junk yard, found the same model car, cut that car in half and then proceeded to weld the back half of that car to the front half of his son’s car. Everybody told him it would never work, but he did it—and he did it with that welder.”
It is inconceivable to some that an 86-year-old man can still successfully own and operate a farm. But with the help of Mildred and a passion for his work, Ed has done just that—and does so in great health.
Kaufman claims, “Ed believes that if he stopped farming he would have nothing to do. He continues doing as much as he can—and it’s a lot— but his health is still great. Ed just keeps doing the thing he loves, and still loves doing it.”
All photos courtesy of Matt Kaufman.
This post was originally published September 18, 2018.
I just got a c-3. I was wondering is any informational material or a manual for this model available anywhere? Or even a better picture of the front of the machine? The front of mine is worn to the extent that the writing on it is nonexistent. I’d like to clean it up and at least repaint the numbers & such.
Hi Nathan! We do have some information on the heritage c-3! If you follow this link: (https://www.forneyind.com/support/product-materials) and scroll all the way down, you should be able to find the material for this machine! And be sure to tag us @forneyind on social media when you’re done with your restoration, we would LOVE to see it!
I’m renting/caretaking an 1880s homestead ranch just right of the Middle of Nowhere in Powder River County, Montana. Barn/sheds still loaded with all the tools–from hand-powered grinders/seeders to 1950s tech including, thank you, what is one of these C3 Forney welding units. Along with the well-used cables, etc. and a legacy of amazing DIY repairs, builds and homebuilt ironworks. Still trying to figure out what I think is a mobile bale hoist loader built out of the reassembled pieces of a 1920s GMC. Represents amazing skill and self-sufficiency. And no, I don’t dare plug it in much less attempt to try myself!
What an awesome story! We would love to continue hearing updates about your ranch adventure, and if you happen to share any photos of the heritage welder be sure to tag us on social media @forneyind!
If you ever want to access any literature about the Forney C3 welder, we offer some resources here: https://www.forneyind.com/support/product-materials
Howdy!
I got a Forney Model C Welder form my father-in-law some 20 years ago that looks exactly like the one in Ed Dyer’s article. It has a couple of “old” books, circa late 1940’s. I am a budding welding student, just retired after 50 years of aerospace engineering work, that plans on doing some old school arc welding. I struck a couple of arcs about 15 years ago, enough to appreciate the welding skill that folks like Ed developed.
So, I am setting up my shop (a converted 2 stall garage) that has a 100 amp/240 volt subpanel to provide a circuit for the “old” welder. What general advice would the “old timers” give to a 74 year old youngster who is just getting started in the hobby welding area?
FYI, I am safety minded to the point that I don’t plan to weld any ’empty’ gas cans and I try to ask myself before getting too far into any project ‘what could go wrong with this’. Eye hand coordination is still pretty good. And, I can still take instruction!
If you don’t mind, please help teach this “old” dog a new trick with his “old” toy!
Thanks,
Kenny
Hi there Kenny! First of all, we’d like to thank you for sharing your story with us. I reached out to one of our Expert-Tech technicians to give you their expert advice, and they had this to say;
One of the best pieces of advice we can give you is to practice on scrap metal to get used to how the welder/rod/and yourself interact with each other. We would recommend starting with E7014 rods for any material 1/8” and over or E6013 for any material 1/8” and under as they are friendly to beginner welders. Another great piece of advice is to try to be patient, and resist getting frustrated. It’s called “stick welding” because it sticks, which can be discouraging- but with practice it will be much more fun than frustrating!
Additionally, here are some other tips and tricks!
We sincerely hope this helps kickstart your journey Kenny! And please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Expert-Techs directly with any questions or concerns. 1-800-521-6038 ext. 2. Good luck!